Blended families are an increasing phenomenon in this modern age. They are cause for joy, but also a challenge, especially if teenagers are involved.
You want to bond with them, yet may not know how. Here are five ways of fun bonding with teenage stepchildren.
Establish a Board Game Night
Teenagers might think it’s lame to spend the evening playing board games with their parents, but these nights are a good way to keep all members of a newly blended family from feeling left out.
Make sure the games are age-appropriate. Trying to talk a teenager into another round of Candyland is a surefire way to bore them. If you aren’t sure what kinds of games they like, remember it’s OK to ask for advice.
Watch a Show Together
Before you say plopping down in front of the television is no way to spend time with family, stop and think about how many conversations you’ve had over the water cooler about a previous night’s TV drama.
The fact is heart-wrenching character deaths, hilarious sitcom sketches and head-scratching game show puzzles are great conversation starters. Watch a show with your new stepchildren and then engage them in conversation about characters, plot twists and next week’s episode preview.
Play Final Fantasy (FF) XIV: A Realm Reborn
Why this game in particular? The truth is any Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) will do the trick, so long as it features the standard set-up: an open world, questing chains, dungeons, raids and job professions.
But FF XIV: A Realm Reborn is new, which means you and the stepchildren all start off on the same level; this gives you and the kids a chance to explore, learn and grow in-game together. Because of its anticipated popularity, it’s easy to find useful sites to guide you.
Learn to Cook
Start cooking together. Find new recipes no one in the family has tried and experiment with them in the kitchen. It is a great, fun exercise in teamwork. Plus, you can eat the results.
Take Them Out
Find your jersey, your giant foam fingers and your favorite cap; and, escort your new stepchildren to a sporting event. Or, dress them up and take them out to a musical. Pick some outing you like to do for fun and include them in it. This serves a dual purpose: it lets them know you want them to be part of your life and it keeps everyone entertained.
You may not be able to do all of these bonding activities mentioned, due to time and consequences. If such is the case, you can pick some that you can do on a regular basis. That way, stepkids would notice the effort you exert in providing quality time with them.
The stage of adolescence that most teenagers go through can be a difficult and awkward experience for them. But showing that they have another adult that they can depend on and have a good time with, will help in easing away the challenges of the psychological and physiological changes that they could be undergoing.
Timothy Herrera is a father, gamer and writer at FF XIVguide.net. When not on a quest for adventure with his boys, he writes game guides and reviews.
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